FCC's Broadband Plan: The Role Of Competition

[Commentary] We finally know how the Federal Communications Commission plans to treat the issue most responsible for the current state of broadband in the U.S. — the lack of competition.

The FCC has proposed collecting more data, which is good, but what matters is how it uses that data, which isn't outlined in the plan. If the FCC uses the data it hopes to collect as a means to rule and impose conditions on mergers, as well as enforce certain polices around special access reform or sharing fiber, then that's going to have an impact. Taken together, better information about broadband speeds and pricing, special access reform, making it easier to build out municipal fiber, and open set-top boxes will likely have the greatest impact on consumers, while the ability to get better data on services could have the most far-reaching effect if the FCC decides to use that information to promote competition.